A total of 503,055 candidates have started the 2026 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations at 4,514 centres across the country, according to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
The candidates include 264,722 females and 238,333 males, while 906 learners are registered under Special Needs Education (SNE), reflecting the need to accommodate candidates with different learning requirements during the national examinations.
UNEB figures show that 187,918 candidates, representing 37.3 per cent of the total, are sponsored by the government under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) programme. The remaining 315,132 candidates are privately sponsored.
The examinations opened with Mathematics Paper One in the morning, followed by General Science, comprising Chemistry Papers One and Two, in the afternoon.
This year’s examinations are being conducted under the theme: “Advancing Excellence in Assessment and Certification through Secure, Credible, Inclusive and Innovative Processes.”
UNEB warns against examination malpractice
As candidates begin the examination period, UNEB has issued a strong warning against examination malpractice, cautioning that any candidate found engaging in the vice risks having results for the entire examination cancelled.
The examination body emphasised that malpractice in a single paper could lead to the cancellation of a candidate’s results for all papers, urging learners to observe the rules and regulations governing the examinations.
“Candidates must be informed that involvement in malpractice in one paper shall lead to the cancellation of results of the whole examination, and therefore, I implore Heads of Centres to diligently carry out this exercise of briefing without delegating it,” UNEB warned.
The board has directed heads of examination centres to personally brief candidates on examination rules and regulations before the papers begin, rather than delegating the responsibility to other staff.
The measure is intended to ensure that candidates understand the consequences of misconduct and avoid actions that could jeopardise the results they have worked hard to achieve.
Focus on credible and inclusive assessment
The 2026 UCE examinations bring together candidates from government-supported and privately sponsored schools across the country, with UNEB highlighting security, credibility, inclusiveness and innovation as central priorities in the assessment process.
The participation of learners registered under Special Needs Education also underscores the importance of ensuring that examination procedures accommodate eligible candidates while maintaining the integrity of the national assessment system.
With the examinations underway, candidates are expected to concentrate on their papers and adhere to all instructions issued by examination officials.
UNEB’s warning serves as a reminder to candidates, school administrators and examination centre officials that protecting the credibility of the assessment process is a shared responsibility.
The board has urged centre heads to ensure that candidates receive the necessary guidance before sitting their papers, as Uganda conducts one of its key national assessments for secondary school learners.